


Engine Problems

by Swerv



Series: Ratchet and Sari's Bonding Adventures [1]
Category: Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers Animated (2007)
Genre: Gen, I tried fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-15
Updated: 2021-01-15
Packaged: 2021-03-13 14:14:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,989
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28779618
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Swerv/pseuds/Swerv
Summary: Directly seated across from him, perched on a stool that was far too big for her, was Sari. She had been there for half an hour, watching him work with a fascination she usually reserved for obnoxious video games.For some reason, it was starting to get on his nerves.Alternate Title: Sari Annoys Ratchet Until He Cracks and He Lets Her Be His Assistant
Series: Ratchet and Sari's Bonding Adventures [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2110035
Comments: 14
Kudos: 32





	Engine Problems

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into Русский available: [Двигатель раздора](https://archiveofourown.org/works/29922708) by [rc2204](https://archiveofourown.org/users/rc2204/pseuds/rc2204)



One of the benefits of being stuck in Motor City was that it had an endless supply of rundown, damaged vehicles that needed repairs. Since his teammates preferred to be repaired by a magic key rather than an experienced medic, Ratchet’s skills had been sorely underused. So to ensure his servos didn’t rust from underuse, Ratchet had taken to repairing Earth vehicles instead. Repairing run-down machinery was cathartic and ensured that his teammates didn’t bother him. It was hard for Optimus or Bumblebee to get a word in when Ratchet was too busy popping out the dents of an old Ford truck. 

Unfortunately, that didn’t mean his teammates always left him alone when he worked on his hobby. 

Directly seated across from him, perched on a stool that was far too big for her, was Sari. She had been there for half an hour, watching him with a fascination she usually reserved for obnoxious video games. Other than the occasionally fidgeting she’d been surprising still, which was an impressive feat for such a hyperactive child.

For some reason, it was starting to get on his nerves.

“Can I help you?” Ratchet said slowly as he glanced up from the engine he’d been attempting to repair. 

The little girl shook her head and the smile on her face grew. “Nope,” she chirped.

“So you don’t need anything?” Ratchet asked again. Sari shook her head. “So why are you here? Shouldn’t you be playing with Bumblebee or Bulkhead?” Out of the 5 Cybertronians, Sari spent the least amount of time with him. Not that Ratchet minded, it wasn’t like they had anything to talk about. 

“I was,” she shrugged and leaned back on the stool. She began swinging her legs as she recounted, “But then I got bored. Bumblebee’s still playing Ninja Gladiator, Bulkhead’s on monitor duty, Prowl snuck off somewhere, and Optimus is reading.”

“And so you decided to see me?”

Sari nodded. Whether she was oblivious to Ratchet’s confusion or she was ignoring it, he couldn't tell. She looked down at his current project, the engine of a Chevrolet Malibu, on his berth. “So what kind of car are you working on now? Did you pick up a random car off the street again?”

Ratchet sputtered at the question. “For frags sake that was one time!” Technically it was three times and he’d just been caught once, but Sari didn't need to know that. And besides, it was the human’s fault for leaving their sorry excuse of a vehicle on the side roads. At least he was putting the spare parts to good use instead of letting it rust on the side of the road. If anything, what he was doing was cleaning up Detroit’s crowded streets.

“It’s okay. I won’t tell anybody” The little girl winked.

“Vector Sigma, kid, I’m being serious! I found these parts at a scrapyard. Even asked one of the humans if I could take it.” Ratchet stated with no small amount of pride. It wasn’t every day he asked for permission, and politely nonetheless. He considered it a sign he was improving.

“Oh good, you’re learning!” Sari laughed, unaffected by the death glare the medic had aimed at her. 

Ratchet placed his tools on the table, his concentration officially shattered, before leveling the young girl with an unimpressed look. “Get out.”

“What? No! C’mon, Doc-bot, I’ve been so good!” Sari whined and her arms flopped to her side dramatically. Her organic optics sparkled as they turned from mischievous to innocent.

It was almost endearing. Almost.

“You were fine when you were quiet.” Ratchet admitted. He crossed his arms and shrugged. “But now-”

“Give me another chance, doc!” 

“Keep interrupting me and you won’t get one!”

Sari slapped her tiny hands over her mouth and bobbled her head up and down. Despite the hands over her mouth, Ratchet could see the corners of a wide grin. He shook his head and forced back the smile that threatened to show on his face. If he started smiling now, she’d never behave.

“That’s much better.” Ratchet huffed and picked his tools back up. The medic could probably work now that he knew Sari was going to stay quiet. Yet, he still had a nagging suspicion about her motives. He paused before asking, “Why do you care about what I’m doing anyway?”

“Mhmm. Hm! Mhhmmmhhh!”

“Sari, you can take your servos away from your mouth again.”

Sari’s little hands fell from her mouth. She took a deep inhale as if her hands had been restricting her breathing -- which they  _ weren’t  _ \-- and explained, “My dad’s into this stuff and one day I’ll be in charge of Sumdac Systems so I gotta at least learn what some of the parts are and you’d probably be the best person to ask.”

Ratchet frowned at that last part but the rest of it surprised him. Sari had given no prior indication she’d been interested in mechanics but he supposed it was only a matter of time she developed a curiosity. After all, she was surrounded by Cybertronians and automatons every day, especially now that she was living with them.

But she was definitely wrong about one thing.

“I’m no one’s teacher-bot.” Ratchet corrected gruffly. He had been offered the occasional teaching job after the war and before he’d decided he was going to stick with Omega Supreme for the rest of his days, but Ratchet knew he didn’t have the patience for such a task. Even if he downloaded new programming to become a better teacher, it wasn’t a job for him.

Ratchet certainly didn’t have the patience to teach such an energetic organic sparkling. 

“Really? Not even me?” Sari gave him another doe-eyed look. It had little effect this time. 

“Especially not you. Even a bot straight off the assembly line would know his stabilizing servos from his pistons. I’d have to teach you the most basic things and I have more important things to do.”

“Like what?”

“Like not arguing with a sparkling about things she can’t understand!” He dropped his tools on the bench with a loud bang. He was determined not to pick them up again until Sari left the room. That was the only way he could work in peace.

“Fine, you grumpy grease grinder!” Sari stood up on the stool, her cheeks red and fists clenched from frustration. She clambered down the stool and dropped to the floor with an aggravated huff.

Ratchet watched as she stormed out the room and rolled his optics. He knew she was probably going to whine to the others about this and then he’d have to deal with his teammates -- the ungrateful glitcheads! -- giving him dirty looks for the rest of the day. But there was no way he was going to apologize! She came in here unannounced and invaded his personal space. She acted like a total sparkling. 

_ Because she is _ , a pesky voice in his head reminded him. It spoke in a disappointed tone like Optimus often did when Bumblebee or Bulkhead screwed up. The reminder made Ratchet sigh and scrub his servos over his faceplate. Sari acted like a child  _ because _ she was a child, a child that was just curious about repairing machinery, and Ratchet retaliated like a total gearshaft. 

“Frag me,” Ratchet sighed and stood up. His joints creaked and his body was stiff from sitting too long but he plowed ahead anyway. He knew he’d have to come up with an explanation to whoever Sari had run off to, one that didn't get him a lecture and ensured he didn’t have to apologize. He was quickly trying to form one as he left his room to go to the main room. 

Sari hadn’t gone far, strangely enough. Ratchet had only taken a step out of his quarters before he spotted her on the floor, sitting with her knees to her chest and head in her arms. She was sitting to the right of his door, nestled between the medbay and his room. 

“Sari? What are you-”

“I told you everyone else was busy.” Sari muttered into her arms. She refused to look at him and instead kept her eyes on the wall in front of her. Okay, she was mad but at least she wasn’t crying. Crying humans were the worst. “Do you hate me?”

That question caught him off guard. Ratchet blinked in confusion that quickly snowballed into alarm. Oh no no no no! He fervently shook his helm as he tried to think of something to say. This was why he didn’t want to become a teacher! He wasn’t cut out for this stuff!

“Then why don’t you want me to watch you work?” Now Sari decided to make eye contact. Her reddish-brown eyes held an uncomfortable amount of self-pity as she hit him with another startling question. It made his spark pang from guilt.

“It’s not that.” Ratchet said simply and he struggled to admit more. It felt like dealing with Wreck-Gar all over again but instead of saving Detroit from being consumed by microbots, he was saving his spark from being consumed by guilt. The ambulance did a quick glance down the hall to ensure no one was watching before coming to sit next to her against the medbay’s garage door. He grunted and his joints made an embarrassing amount of creaks as he sat down. “I don’t hate you and I have no issues with you wanting to learn more. I’m not used to other people...wanting to spend time with me.” It was a bit more information than he wanted to diverge about his social life on Cybertron but he hoped it got the point across.

“Yeah...me neither.” Sari sighed and Ratchet was hit with another wave of guilt. Sari wasn’t very popular among other organic sparklings. Their small band of Autobots were the only friends she had, as far as he knew, and now that Professor Sumdac had disappeared they were the closest thing she had to family. 

“I...apologize,” was the medic’s sincere response. He didn’t think there was anything else he  _ could _ say. 

Sari didn’t respond and Ratchet didn’t push it. They sat for a few minutes on the floor in silence, which Ratchet was tempted to say was a more comfortable silence rather than a tense one. The ground wasn’t uncomfortable, but he wasn’t keen on sitting there forever. Unfortunately, it also meant getting up, which Ratchet was too lazy to do at the moment.

“Ratchet? Sari?” Optimus Prime’s voice floated down the hall. A second later, the red and blue truck stepped into the hallway. He stopped and tilted his head in confusion as soon as he spotted the two on the ground. “What are you two doing down there?”

“Nothing!” Ratchet snapped out of habit. He outstretched his servo and Sari quickly hopped on. He braced another servo against the wall and prepared to get up with only one servo to support him.

“Do you need help getting up?”

“No!” Ratchet glared at the Prime and stood abruptly. Sari wobbled in his hand and grabbed onto a digit to steady herself. It only took the medic three steps to turn into his room and he shut the door behind him.

“So am I your apprentice now?” Sari gave him another mischievous grin. Ratchet was glad all hints of sadness were gone from her face. 

“Don’t push it.” Ratchet grumbled and approached his birth. He set the girl down on the surface before going on the other side to sit on his chair. He gently picked up his tools and glanced at Sari, getting a sense of deja vu from only a few minutes ago. “I’m going to keep working and you can help  _ when I ask _ , got it?”

“Got it!” She gave him a thumbs up and a smile finally crept onto Ratchet’s face. 

“Alright, kid, let’s get to work.”


End file.
